Natesan Rangabashyam

Biography

Rangabashyam was born on 5 November 1936 in Chennai, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu to Natesan-Vittobai couple. After graduating in science from Loyola College, Chennai, he continued his studies in medicine at Madras Medical College from where he obtained the degree of MBBS in 1957. Later, he joined the Royal College of Surgeons of England but subsequently moved to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh where he completed the primary surgeon's course. This was followed by a short stint at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Rhyl as a medical officer where he trained under Ivor Lewis and Owen Daniels, known surgical gastroenterologists. After securing his FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, he worked for brief periods at Western General Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital and St Mark's Hospital. It was here, he helped start the first MCh course in gastroenterology in India as well as the first nursing diploma course in enterostomal therapy.

Rangabashyam served as an examiner at several medical universities in India and abroad, including the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and was credited with efforts in introducing the FRCS examination of the Edinburgh Royal College in India. and contributed chapters to two medical texts, and Recent Advances in Surgery. He was involved with the activities of the Association of Surgeons of India as its secretary and, later, as president and also headed the Indian Society of Gastroenterology as its president in 1983. was an elected fellow of the International College of Surgeons, the International Academy of Proctology and the American College of Surgeons. On 11 February 2010, Vittobai, Rangabhashyam's mother, was felicitated at a program, Salute to Mothers, in Chennai. The same year, he received the Living Legend Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu.